Survey shows that Medihelp members are most satisfied with service delivery

Medihelp Medical Scheme received the highest rating from its members in terms of overall customer satisfaction in the 2018 independent South African Customer Satisfaction survey recently released by Consulta.

The 2018 South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi) for medical schemes indicates that Medihelp was the only open scheme with increased satisfaction levels of 75,1%. The Index also reveals a drop in satisfaction levels with medical schemes to an industry average of 72,7%.

Heyn van Rooyen, Principal Officer of Medihelp, said that the Scheme is delighted with the positive feedback and thanked members for their loyal support. According to him the high satisfaction level can be ascribed to the success of the turnaround strategy implemented to create product stability through an enhanced product offering and increased competitiveness whilst maintaining high levels of service delivery.“.

For the past few years Medihelp has consistently been announcing market-related contribution increases, a reduction of co-payments and an increase in the benefit richness of products,” Van Rooyen said.

The effect thereof can be best seen in the SAcsi’s Perceived Value Index, which shows that Medihelp is one of the leaders with an improved rating from 70,9% to 73,6% compared to the industry average which dropped from 71,6% to 69,4%.

Since Medihelp reverted back to self-administration in mid-2016, the Scheme increased its focus on higher efficiency and individualising members’ engagement with the Scheme. This included enhancement of its digital service platforms, with segmentation and simplified, individualised communication messages for the different audiences, ensuring a more appropriate and understandable delivery of relevant information.

Medical schemes were also measured against the Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) measure, an outcome-based regulatory and supervisory approach to ensure that specific, clearly articulated fairness outcomes for financial services consumers are delivered by regulated financial firms. In terms of these results, Medihelp’s efforts clearly paid off. The Scheme once again took the lead, showing a strong improvement over the past three years with a rating of 78,3, whilst other open medical schemes moved in the opposite direction.

According to the SAcsi, there is a strong correlation between perception of customer satisfaction and being treated fairly by your medical scheme.

The SAcsi results follow the announcement of Medihelp’s financial results for 2017 which were testament to the Scheme’s ability to maintain the stability and sustainability which it considers so important in ensuring members’ peace of mind. “A positive net healthcare result, a solvency level of 29,56%, a marked decrease in non-healthcare costs and 2,1% net growth in the Scheme’s membership in 2017, and now the thumbs-up from our members in terms of meeting their expectations, are all the motivation we need to tackle the next set of challenges presented by the industry. We will work in close cooperation with our loyal advisers and service providers who have all contributed to these results,” Van Rooyen concluded.